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neutron Definition

neu·tron (no̵̅o̅trän′, nyo̵̅o̅-)

noun

Particle Physics an uncharged nucleon having a mass of c. 1.675×10 kg (c. 939.5729 MeV/c, c. 1,839 times the mass of an electron): a free neutron, as in nuclear fission, has a half-life of c. 14.8 minutes, is readily absorbed by a nucleus, and decays into a proton, an electron, and a neutrino

Etymology: neutr(al) + -on

neutron Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • absorb: Shields made of water or wax can be used to absorb neutrons.
  • pulse: Other UK accelerators The worldâs leading pulsed neutron and muon source is based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.
  • discover: Early in 1932 James Chadwick discovered the neutron, a particle in the nuclei of most atoms.
  • release: The neutrons released during fission are too hot to be absorbed by other uranium atoms, which is necessary for the reaction to continue.
  • produce: Moderator A material used in nuclear reactors to reduce the energy and speed of the neutrons produced as a result of fission.

Preposition: in

  • nucleus: Mass number The number of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Adjective modifier

  • thermal: Once thermal neutrons have been produced, then nuclear fission may begin to occur.
  • fast: BNCT is really a way of making radiotherapy with fast neutrons safe.
  • slow: By 1935 the two men had discovered slow neutrons, which have properties important to the operation of nuclear reactors.

Modifies a noun

  • diffraction: Ted was ideally placed to make use of neutron diffraction to study the nature of the vortex state.
  • scattering: Further examples for the use of X-ray or neutron scattering can be found in our list of publications.
  • fluence: The neutron fluence rate depends upon factors such as target thickness, charged particle beam current, geometry and required neutron energy resolution.
  • star: To escape from a neutron star 's surface you will need to travel at about 0.8 times the speed of light.
  • dosimetry: The aim of work in these areas is to maintain and improve neutron spectrometry and neutron dosimetry capabilities and services.
  • activation: To analyze the uranium content of specific samples by delayed neutron activation analysis.

Noun used with modifier

  • spallation: ISIS is the world's brightest spallation neutron source situated at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
  • radionuclide: The emission of most radionuclide neutron sources is not isotropic.
  • powder: High resolution at low Q is handy for indexing, and is essential for tackling moderately complex magnetic structures with powder neutron data.
  • angle: Neutron diffraction techniques are employed to investigate both atomic and magnetic structures, while longer range fluctuations are studied using small angle neutron scattering.
  • energy: Neutron High energy neutrons can penetrate thick lead shields.